African swine fever (ASF) is caused by ASF virus (ASFV), and it is a highly contagious and often fatal diseases of domestic and wild swine that can occur in peracute, acute, subacute and chronic forms. Following infection of swine, ASF is characterized by fever, high viremic titers, hemorrhagic lesions and, depending on the strain, high morbidity and mortality. ASF was introduced into Georgia in 2007, causing enormous economic losses and it has now been speard to many regions in Russia. On 27 March 2017, an outbreak took place in Irkutskaya Oblast, a region close to the largest land port in the North of China about 1 000 kilometers, which poses China a high risk of disease introduction. Here, in order to provide a reference to the prevention and control of ASF in China, the authors present a review on the epidemic situation and research progress of ASF in Russia.